Writing in the Daily Mail, Mark Clattenburg not only said Arsenal’s penalty was right to stand, he also said action should have been taken against Harry Kane for his dangerous barge on Gabriel.
We all know who Harry Kane is. He is a diving little cheat who likes to hit players late after the ball has gone and the ref is looking elsewhere. He does it because he gets away with it.
As he barged into Gabriel on Sunday as Spurs dropped more points from a winning position against Arsenal, the replays showed just how luck Gabriel was to not suffer a neck injury.
Referee, Michael Oliver waved play on and there was no VAR check.
Mark Clattenburg says Kane didn’t see red but should have been booked. It wasn’t even a free kick
VAR check ❌
Yellow card ❌
Talked about on sky ❌— Northern Gooner (@Northerngooona) March 14, 2021
Clattenburg writes, “There was a robust challenge from Harry Kane on Gabriel but the Spurs striker did not lead with his elbow or forearm, so that’s why he wasn’t red-carded. I would have shown him a yellow for it, given it was a reckless action.”
Overall, much to my surprise, the coverage in the Daily Mail was pretty positive about Arsenal’s win, which seems most unlike them.
That being said, Martin Samuel reinforces this new rule that they have seemingly made up, once again, for Arsenal (you can see Clattenburg reference it above as well):
I’m 45. I’ve been going to football matches, at all levels, for a little over 40 years. This is the first time I’ve ever heard that ‘the ball is gone’ or ‘that was bad shot anyway’ as an excuse for overturning a penalty.
Sure, I’ve seen penalties failed to be awarded for that reason, but it’s not the law and it’s not something that can be used to justify a decision you don’t like just because it goes against Spurs or in favour of Arsenal.